Title: Arms race of transposons and host plants
Speaker: Jungnam Cho (Durham University)

Date: 14:00–15:00, 7 January 2026

Place: Kyushu Univ. Ito Campus, W1-D-208
Type: On-site, Zoom

Abstract: 

Transposons are widespread pieces of DNA that can move around within eukaryotic genomes. Because of this mobility, they act as a double-edged sword: they can disrupt genes and cause mutations, but they can also drive evolution by increasing genetic diversity. Most research to date has focused on how cells repress transposons at the level of transcription, largely through epigenetic silencing. However, much less attention has been paid to how transposons are controlled after transcription, or to the ways transposons can actively escape host repression. In this seminar, I will present recent work from my lab that uncovers previously hidden layers of transposon regulation at the RNA level, as well as unique strategies employed by certain transposons to bypass host defences.